1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a combination switch mounted on a steering column of a vehicle.
2. Related Art
In a related art, a combination switch is fixed to a steering column of an automobile, and when an operating lever, extending from a body of the combination switch is swung in one direction (that is, a direction substantially parallel to a plane of angular movement of a steering handle), wipers are operated. When the operating lever is swung in another direction (that is, a direction substantially perpendicular to the one direction), a washer liquid is injected to a front glass.
Further, an operating thumb piece for operating a wiper provided on a rear glass of the car, an operating button for injecting washer liquid to the rear glass, etc., are formed on the operating lever. Thus, the switches, associated with the wiper operation, can be provided on the single operating lever, and this has enhanced the efficiency of manipulation for operating the wipers.
Incidentally, the operation of an air-conditioner in a car is effected, using an A/C switch for operating and stopping the air-conditioner, a fan switch for operating and stopping a fan, a temperature control device for controlling a temperature, etc., and these switches have usually been mounted on an instrument panel or its vicinity. With respect to air-conditioners, a manual air-conditioner, an automatic air-conditioner and a semi-automatic air-conditioner have come into wide use.
However, the operating switches for operating the air-conditioner are provided on the instrument panel or its vicinity, and when operating the air-conditioner during the travel of the car, the eyes must be directed much downward, which has invited a problem that it difficult to operate the air-conditioner during the travel of the car.
On the other hand, the operating switches for the rear wiper are provided on the combination switch, and therefore can be operated during the travel of the car without directing the eyes much downward. However, during the travel of the car, the operating switches for the rear wiper are lower in frequency of use than the operating switches for the air-conditioner, and therefore could not fully performed the effect of good manipulatability during the travel.
Moreover, some kinds of automobiles are not provided with a rear wiper, and two types of combination switches (that is, the type having a rear wiper-operating portion formed on an operating lever and the type having no such rear wiper-operating portion on an operating lever) need to be prepared at a production side. Therefore, there has been a disadvantage that the kinds of the combination switches increased. On the other hands, an air-conditioner has now been provided at almost all kinds of automobiles.